What to Take and Not to Take to the ACT Test

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What to Take to the ACT

If you can't borrow the brain of that whiz kid in your calculus class, you're stuck using your own,  In addition, be sure that you have the following with you:

Admission tickets: By about two weeks before the exam, you should have received your ticket in the mail.  If you don't have the ticket by then or if you got it but lost it, call the ACT at 319-337-1270.

Pencils: Take a bunch of sharpened No.2 pencils with you.  You may also want to take a big eraser (nothing personal, everyone makes mistakes) and a small pencil sharpener.

Maps or directions: Go to the test center a few days before the actual exam, and scope out your driving route and parking area.  Often, the ACT is given at colleges that have parking lots far, far from the test rooms.  Drive to the college  a few days in advance, park your car, and see just how long it takes you to get to the room.  You don't need the stress of having to run to the test room at the last minute.

Clothing: Rumor has it some weird kids re lobbying for special Nude ACT.  Until it becomes available, you need to have some sort of external covering.  Take a few extra layers.  The heat often is turned off for the weekend in many classrooms (the ACT is usually offer on a Saturday), and the room can be freezing cold.  Alternatively, in the summer, schools turn off the air conditioning, making the room boiling hot.  Dress in layers and be prepared for anything.

Photo ID: Showing the birthmark your boyfriend thinks is so cute isn't going to cut it with the proctor.  You need to bring a photo ID (student ID, driver's license, passport, military ID, FBI Most Wanted mug shot, whatever).  If you don't have a photo ID, you can bring a letter of identification from your school.  (The ACT registration booklet goes into detail about what this letter entails; we won't bore you with that information here.)

Eyeglasses: Students frequently forget their reading glasses at home and then squint for the next four hours.  The ACT itself is enough of a headache; you don't need eyestrain, as well.  And if you wear contacts, be sure to bring cleaning/wetting solution in case you have to take the lenses out and reinsert them.  (Hey, all those tears can really mess up your lenses.)

A snack: True, your break is only ten minutes between tests two and three, but that's enough time to gobble down something to jump-start your brain.  We often suggest taking an energy bar or some peanuts, something with protein and carbohydrates.  Scarfing down a candy bar is actually counterproductive; your sugar levels rise only momentarily and then drop down below where they were before you had your chocolate fix.

A watch: If your watch has an alarm, turn it off so that you don't disturb the other students.  If you don't know how to do so, borrow another watch.  The proctor will take a beeping watch away from you.

A calculator: ACT gurus finally joined the 20th century and agreed to allow students to use calculators.  Although the ACT information bulletin has an entire quarter page detailing which calaculators can and cannot be sued, for all practical purposes, you can use any calculator (yes, even a graphing calculator) as long as it doesn't make a noise.  You may not use a laptop computer (don't laugh; you'd be surprised  by how many of my students want to bring one to the test!) or a pocket organizer.

What Not to Take to the ACT

Believe it or not, you shouldn't take some things to the test, such as the following:

Books and notes: Last-minute studying won't do ou much good.  Forget the books; you won't be allowed to take them into the test room with you.  (Just be sure to tell this to your parents.  We once had a student whose mother drove all the way to the test center with her daughter's ACT prep book, thinking the girl needed it for the test.  The mom actually pulled the girl out of the test to give her the book, resulting in the girl's nearly being disqualified from continuing.)

Scratch paper: You may not bring your own scratch paper, and no scratch paper will be given to you during the exam.  Fortunately, the exam booklet has plenty of blank space on which you may do your calculations.

Four Stress-Busters to Help You Survive the ACT

Most people are tense before a test, with butterflies dancing in their stomachs.  The key is to  use relaxation techniques that keep your mind on your test and not on your tummy.

Counting to Four

Breathing is grossly underrated.  Breathing is good. Take a deep breath until your belly expands, hold it for four counts, and then expel the air for four counts.  Try not to take short, shallow breaths, which can cause you to become even more anxious, because your body is deprived of oxygen.

Stretching

Rotate your head around to stretch out and relax your neck muscles.  (We suggest keeping your eyes closed while doing this so the proctor doesn't think that you're trying to cheat.) Hunch and roll your shoulders to help relax your back and spine.  You'll be sitting for more than three hours, so maintaining good posture is crucial.  Shake out your hands like you have a writer's cramp.  Imagine that all your tension and stress is going out through your fingertips.  Exten and push out your legs like you're pushing something away with your heels.  Point your toes back toward your knees and hold that position for  count of three.

Practicing Visualization

Don't do this during the tes; you just waste time and lose concentration.  However, before the exam or during the break, practice visualization.  Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the test room cheerfully looking at questions that you know the answers to, filling in the bubble grids to the right answers, finishing early, and double-checking your work.  Picture yourself leaving the exam room all uplifted, and then five weeks later, getting your scores and rejoicing. Think of how proud of you your parents are.  Imagine getting an acceptance letter from the college of yoru dreams.  Picture yourself driving a fire-engine-red Ferrari ten years from now, telling the Time magazine reporter in the passenger seat that your success started with your excellent ACT scores.  The goal is to associate the ACT with good feelings.

Thinking Positively

Any time you feel yourself starting to panic or thinking negative thoughts, make a conscious effort to say to yourself, "Stop!  Don't dwell on anything negative."  And then switch over to a positive tract.  Suppose that you catch yourself thinking, "Why didn't I study this match more?  I saw that formula a hundred times but can't remember it now!"  Change the script to , "I got most of this math right: if I leave my subconscious to work on that formula, maybe I'll get it, too.  No sense worrying now.  Overall, I think I'm going great!"